Presenting The Wire: A Socially Powered News Platform

Washington, D.C., and New York, N.Y. (November 19, 2013)—Debuting today is a socially powered news platform, The Wire. Previously known as The Atlantic Wire, the Web site is relaunching with a refined mission as well as a new name, URL, and look, and a mobile-first responsive design. Amid a seismic shift in how and where news breaks, The Wire’s writers and editors are monitoring the conversation across social networks, filtering news, ideas, and information as it travels from the Web to mainstream media outlets. By adding original reporting and context along the way, The Wire gives readers a thorough and valuable account of “What Matters Now,” the site’s defining tagline.

“News is undergoing a radical transformation in the social era,” said editor Gabriel Snyder. “The news is still the news, but how news breaks and the number of places it breaks has increased exponentially. The Wire is your trusted source to help you keep up.”

With a responsive design, the new Wire is reaching readers who are moving rapidly to mobile, providing an optimal reading and navigation experience across all devices—from desktops to tablets to smartphones. Today nearly 40 percent of The Wire’s traffic comes from mobile devices and tablets, and the responsive design—a first for one of The Atlantic’s digital properties—positions the site to support future devices and screen sizes.

Debuting as The Atlantic Wire in September 2009, the site is now relaunching without the “Atlantic” and will be referred to simply as The Wire, both in title and in the site’s new URL, http://www.thewire.com. The new name marks a strategic business decision, formally establishing The Wire as an independent media brand in the marketplace. David Minkin, The Atlantic’s associate publisher of sales strategy and operations, will be taking on additional responsibilities as The Wire’s head of sales/marketing. In the expanded role, he will oversee a dedicated Wire sales team and report to Hayley Romer, vice president and publisher of The Atlantic.

The new name is also a nod to the fact that what started as an experiment more than four years ago is now a fully formed, stand-alone site—one that, on average this year, draws nearly 6 million monthly unique visitors according to Omniture, up more than 100 percent from a year ago.

“The Wire originally launched as an experimental offshoot of The Atlantic with a specialized vision and targeted scope. What you see today is a thriving digital platform showcasing a distinctive voice and a broader editorial mission,” said M. Scott Havens, president of The Atlantic. “Acknowledging The Wire’s growth and evolution, we are establishing the site as an independent media brand—a news platform for the social era—and investing in its continued expansion.”

The site will also feature a new ad product, Brand Boost, which enables advertisers to natively integrate their social-media content into The Wire’s site. Brand Boost’s advertising units, which are compatible across all platforms and devices, will help brands amplify their social content and enhance the impact of their marketing messages.

The Wire is part of The Atlantic’s digital family, which includes Web sites TheAtlantic.com and TheAtlanticCities.com, weekly digital publication The Atlantic Weekly, e-books imprint The Atlantic Books, and a variety of mobile and tablet apps.

About The Atlantic

Since its founding in 1857 as a magazine about “the American Idea” that would be of “no party or clique,” The Atlantic has been at the forefront of brave thinking in journalism. One of the first magazines to launch on the Web in the early 1990s, The Atlantic has continued to help shape the national debate across print, digital, and event platforms. With the addition of TheWire.com and TheAtlanticCities.com, The Atlantic is a multimedia forum on the most-critical issues of our times—from politics, business, urban affairs, and the economy, to technology, arts, and culture. The Atlantic is the flagship property of Washington, D.C.–based publisher Atlantic Media Company.